High-level NICU opens in Washington, D.C.

Design to the highest distinction available by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the new Level IIIC neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C., is equipped to care for the sickest premature babies, including those that require open-heart surgery. The 54-bed facility, designed by Karlsberger with KLMK Group as space planner, is four times larger than the medical center's existing space and will be able to accommodate more than 800 patients annually. Karlsberger consulted with patients' families during the design phase, which led to the inclusion of a parent area in each room with storage at each bedside, refrigerators for breast milk, and recliner chairs.

Other members of the Building Team include MEP engineer Leach Wallace, construction manager HITT Contracting, and Smith Seckman Reid, which provided technology and systems design.

Walsh Construction, one of the largest contractors in the city of Chicago and in the United States, is leading the temporary conversion of a portion of the McCormick Place Convention Center into an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) for novel coronavirus patients. Construction on the first 500 beds was completed on April 3.

TLC Engineering Consultants' guidance on ventilation in COVID-19 patient rooms

Coronavirus | Apr 1, 2020

TLC’s Michael Sheerin offers guidance on ventilation in COVID-19 healthcare settings

Ventilation engineering guidance for COVID-19 patient rooms

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 29, 2020

A ‘roadmap’ for building hospitals in rural and underfunded markets

Hoar Construction’s formula emphasizes preconstruction planning and input from healthcare workers.

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 27, 2020

Designing healthcare for surge capacity

We believe that part of the longer-term answer lies not just with traditional health providers, but in the potential of our cities and communities to adapt and change.